about a year ago i changed the fan after finding it wouldnt turn on (started getting hot). i tested with a volt meter and found a break in continuity(sp?) so it made sense. bad fan motor. bought a new one and installed myself. came on perfectly. well, a few months later fan would only come on when a/c was turned on? i checked relay block under the hood by swithing it with the one next to it (theyre exactly the same) and still would not come on unless a/c was on. ive been broke so i put on the back burner. well now nothing works. the a/c wont kick on and the fan wont either. could it be a coincidenc? they seem to be related somehow. if the fan is out..will the a/c not work? any help appreciated. Edited by: mfunk49

 

Aux fan comes on with A/C by design to account for the extra load on the engine when A/C is engaged.

A/C not working should not inhibit the fan from normal operation when A/C is not on. So A/C problem is likely its own unrelated animal.

As for Aux fan never coming on--if relay is good and motor is good, I suspect the ECTS (Engine Coolant Temp Sensor) is bad -- PCM uses the coolant temp signal from this sensor to decide when to turn the aux cooling fan on and off.

When the ECTS fails, it almost always sends a steady bogus cold reading equivalent to about -40 C --so the PCM thinks the engine is ice cold and will never kick in the fan.

Replace with brass-tipped ECTS design and replace connector with Saturn OEM replacement (Saturn only part...sorry).

What year is car?

Derf

Edited by: derf

 

its a 95 sl2 with 134,000 or so. is there a starting place you could recomend for me to start on the a/c issue? thanks in advance.

 

ECTS follow up: If it is the original ECTS in the car, it has failed (all with original resin tip design eventually did). I think brass-tipped design did not arrive till at least 98. 95 has 2 sensors in the head --the two wire is the ECTS -- the single wire is for the temp guage on the dash. Youwant to replace the 2-wire (ECTS) sensor....

A/C:

Is it completely dead? Does it run but not cool? Is it that the compressor won't engage?

Check fuses/relay for the A/C blower and A/C clutch.

If the refrigerant level gets low enough, the compressor will not engage. My guess is that there is a leak in the system and your refrigerant has leaked out. Usually it is the o-rings ($1.50 each) where the A/C lines meet the compressor that leak. $3.00 in parts, $$$$ in labor and refrigerant handling/disposal fees.

Oil and refrigerant are actually mixed together in the system so that it is a self-lubricating closed system. If you see kind of a sticky residue where the lines meet the compressor it is probably the o-ring.

Somewhere along the line I was told by a mechanic that the o-ring leaks can be staved off by running the a/c for short periods in the winter --this keeps the seals lubricated year round....

Derf

 

the compressor wont engage. it was getting very little coolness when this happened so maybe its just too low. i hope thats the case. what does ects stand for? i have a saturn book but cant find in glossary. need entire word i guess. im pretty mechanical..is this something i could do in my garage? or need dealership. oh..engine coolant temp sensor..just read above sorry. btw, my temp guage seems to be working fine. responds to conditions. could it still be the ects?

 

I believe the aux fan won't come on until the compressor clutch engages...

Yes -- ECTS failure as described above will keep aux fan from ever coming on (not counting A/C).

As for ECTS replacement -- it is located on the back of the cylinder head (driver side of vehicle) -- locate EGR valve and look down -- it should be only 2 wire sensor in the head in that area.

$40 parts / 40 min max. It is a squeeze connector on the end -- don't try to pry it --you will break it. Replacement connector comes from saturn with splice in connectors, so connector replacement is a snap.

Just be sure to replace when the engine is cold, and to catch the coolant that comes out when you pull the old one. Having a buddy plug the hole with a finger while you fnagle with the new one and your tools helps quite a bit, but is not required.

Derf